Bolt assembly having a collar rotatable thereon to actuate the bolt lock and sear the firing pin

ABSTRACT

A bolt has a collar fully rotatable thereon, and which is actuated by spaced apart projections in the housing to lock and unlock the bolt. The collar also serves to sear the firing pin.

mite States Patent 1 Cozzy et a1.

BOLT ASSEMBLY HAVING A COLLAR ROTATABLE THEREON TO ACTUATE THE 56 R f n Cited BOLT LOCK AND SEAR THE FIRING PIN UNITED STATES PATENTS lnventorsI Burlingmn; 2,849,921 9/1958 Otto 89/12 Robert Pettinga, Shelburne, both of 1,018,914 2/19 Kmkam" Vt. 1,551,809 9/1925 Dodge 89/126 Assignee: General Electric Company,

Burlington, Vt. Primary Examiner-Stephen C. Bentley Att0meyBailin L. Kuch et al. Filed: June 14, 1971 Appl. No.: 152,889 [57] ABSTRACT A bolt has a collar fully rotatable thereon, and which U- Cl u 559/13 is actuated by spaced apart projections in the housing 89/l88 to lock and unlock the bolt. The collar also serves to Int. Cl. F4ld 7/04 sear the firing pin,

Field of Search 89/12, 13, 126127,

8 Claims, 20 Drawing Figures Oct. 23, 1973 PAIENIED 081 2 3 I975 SHEET 10F 8 Amp 5y 750/145 M Co 1N VENTORS Foss/ r P57770614 PATENTEDUET 23 I975 SHEET 3 BF 8 INVENTORS By 790? 5 M 002 y PATENIEDUET 23 I873 3.766.821 SHEET u or a I N VENTORS PATENTEUUEI 23 I915 3.766.821 SHEET 5 or 8 PATENIEDnm 23 lm 3.766.821

sum 9 or a For/9770 Look/us AF) Comma-me ZOCk/NG C01. MR For/7770M Lace/A a Arr lock/Na I NVEN TORS @551 7 Pam/v 4 BY 7,7OMAS 4 Cozzy Afro/ewe? BOLT ASSEMBLY HAVING A COLLAR ROTATABLE THEREON TO ACTUATE THE BOLT LOCK AND SEAR THE FIRING PIN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an improved bolt assembly, especially adapted for automatic weapons having a plurality of barrels mounted for rotation about a common axis, popularly known as Gatling Guns.

2. Prior Art In US. Pat. No. 125,563 issued Apr. 9, 1872 to R..I. Gatling, there is shown the classic modern revolving battery gun. A stationary housing encloses and supports a rotor assembly which has a plurality of barrels and a like plurality of bolts. Each bolt has its own firing pin and mainspring. Each bolt is traversed longitudinally by a stationary elliptical cam track in the housing. As the bolt is traversed forward, the firing pin is held to the rear by a stationary cam track in the housing and the mainspring is compressed until the bolt and the barrel reach the firing position, at which time the firing pin is seared. A more recent gun, which is electrically fired, is shown in US. Pat. No. 2,849,921 issued Sept. 2, 1958 to H. McC. Otto. This is the progenitor of the mm Vulcan gun. In the Otto gun the longitudinal movement of the bolt is controlled by a housing cam track, but the firing pin is always biased forward. The bolt has interrupted threads and is reciprocated a small radial distance about its longitudinal axis into and out of lock. A yet more recent Gatling gun, of the Minigun" genre, is disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,380,343 issued Apr. 30, 1968 to R.E. Chiabrandy et al., and utilizes a single mainspring mounted externally of the bolt assemblies on the housing. The bolt has a locking lug and is reciprocated transversely about a pivot point into and out of lock.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide an improved bolt assembly which is especially well adapted to the Minigun genre of revolving battery guns.

It is an especial object to provide a bolt having:

1. positive alignment of the bolt head and the gun barrel;

2. increased locking area, which is symmetrical about the load;

3. maximized efficiency and minimized and uniform wear of the locking elements;

4. minimized structure for bolt guidance in the rotor and ready removal of the bolt from the rotor without tools; and

5. minimized structure of the bolt.

A feature of the invention is the provision of a bolt having a collar fully rotatable thereon, and which is actuated by spaced apart projections in the housing to lock and unlock the bolt. The collar also serves to sear the firing pin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofa revolving battery gun embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a detail of the exterior of the gun of FIG. I showing the safing sector and cover assembly;

FIG. 3 is a detail cross-section showing the rotor and the locking sector taken along plane III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detail cross-section taken along plane IV--IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a detail cross-section taken along plane V-V of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a detail cross-section taken along plane VI-VI of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a detail similar to FIG. 2 with the safing sector and cover assembly opened;

FIG. 8 is a detail cross-section of bolt assembly and the safing sector and cover assembly;

FIGS. 9, l0, l1 and 12 are perspective views of the bolt;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the locking sector;

FIG. 14 is a projection of the receiver main quasielliptical cam track illustrating the bolt functions;

FIG. 15 is a detail looking aft of the bolt in forward dwell;

FIG. 16 is a detail looking aft of the bolt commencing to unlock;

FIG. 17 is a detail looking aft of the bolt completing unlocking;

FIG. 18 is a detail looking aft of the bolt commencing to lock;

FIG. 19 is a detail looking aft of the bolt completing locking;

FIG. 20 is a detail looking aft of the bolt firing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The revolving battery gun shown in FIG. 1 comprises a stationary housing 10 in which a rotor assembly 12 is journalled and to which is coupled a feeder assembly 14.

The rotor assembly comprises a receiver or rotor 16 having six longitudinal bores 17 therein disposed on an annular row, into which are respectively secured six gun barrels 18 which extend forwardly, and from which bores six longitudinal slots 20 respectively extend aft. Six bolt assemblies 22 are respectively disposed in each slot 20. Each slot is machined to provide a left side guide surface 24, a right side guide surface 26, a left bottom guide surface 28 and a right bottom guide surface 30. A longitudinal slot 32 is cut into the left side guide surface 24.

The bolt assembly 22 comprises a bolt body 34 having an integral firing pin 36 with a penetrator 38 extending forward therefrom. A lock ring or collar 40 and a bolt head 42 are journalled on the firing pin 36. A longitudinally extending flat 44 is cut into the underside of the firing pin and a transverse pin 46 is fixed through a bore in the head adjacent the flat 44 to capture the head to the firing pin and to minimize relative rotation yet to permit relative reciprocation. The bolt head includes a transverse bolt face 48 with cam surface 50 and a pair of extractor lugs 52. A slot 54 for alignment with the feeder is cut into the top of the head. The collar 40 includes two locking lugs 56A, 56B, and two control teeth 58A, 583 each having a chamfer 59, all of which lugs and teeth may be cut with involute gear tooth profiles. Two, integral, spaced apart, sear lugs 60A, 608 project longitudinally aft from the collar and normally abut the forward transverse face of 62 of the bolt body; however, when radially oriented to the axis of the gun, the lugs slide off the transverse face 62, with the upper lug entering a clearance notch 64 cut into the top of the body and the lower lug entering a sear control notch 66 cut into the top of the body and the lower lug entering a scar control notch 66 cut into the bottom of the body. A cam follower roller 68 is journalled to the bolt body and fol lows a quasi-elliptical cam track 70 within the housing. Each bolt assembly is retained in its slot by the interior surface of the housing, precluding a need for guide bars or rabbets for the receiver to meet the centrifugal loads of the bolt assembly.

A forward annular slot 72 is cut into the rotor intersecting each of the longitudinal bolt slots to provide a transverse locking shoulder surface 74A, 748 on each side of the slot 20. The aft surfaces of the locking lugs 56A, 56B are adapted to abut against the surfaces 74A, 748 respectively. A medial annular slot '76 is cut into the rotor intersecting each of the longitudinal bolt slots 20 to provide a clearance for the collar and one of the control teeth 58A or 588 which is otherwise captured in the slot 32. A chamfer 77 is cut into the face of shoulder surface 74A and 74B respectively.

A locking sector 78 is removably fixed to the housing adjacent the firing station, and has a locking tooth 80, an unlocking tooth 82, and a web 84 extending annularly therebetween. The sector is held in place by two pins 86 and 88 capturing the sector to and between two clevises 90 and 92 on the housing.

A safing sector and cover assembly 100 has a clevis 102 which is pivotally mounted on the pin 88. The sector includes an annular web having an arcuate guide surface 104 for bearing sequentially against the top surface of each bolt. A main spring I06 is captured in a bore 108 and biases a plunger 110 forwardly. A cocking lever 112 is mounted by a pivot 114 to the sector. The distal end of the lever has a transverse lug 116 which extends into a recess 118 in the sector and which has an aft surface 120 adapted to bear against the top of the plunger 110, and a forward surface with a notch 121. The distal end of the arm also includes a cam surface 122 adapted to bear against the cam follower roller 68 of the bolt. The sector also includes a projection having a cam surface 124 which serves as a bridge between the receiver cam track 70 and the cocking lever cam surface 122. A locking lever 126 is pivotally mounted at 128 to the exterior of the sector. The lever has a sector with two teeth 130, 131, which enters the recess 118 through a longitudinal slot 132. The locking lever has three positions. In the armed position shown in FIG. 3, the locking lever is swung forward to the position ARMED so that it engages a slot 134 in a post 136 on the receiver, and is retained by a leaf spring 138 fixed to the cover. The toothed sector is clear of the cocking lever lug 116. In the safed position, the locking lever is swung partially aft to the position SAFED so that the tooth 132 engages the notch 121 on the cocking lever, pushing the cocking lever aft against the plunger. The handle is, in part, still retained in the slot 134. In the open or unlocked position, the locking lever is swung full aft to the position OPEN" so that the tooth 131i engages the notch 121, further pushing the cocking lever aft against the plunger. The handle is free of the slot 134, and the cover may be swung open to expose that bolt which is in the firing position.

As seen in FIG. M, the cam track 70 longitudinally traverses each bolt in the respective slot 20 as such bolt is carried around the longitudinal axis of the gun. Starting consideration of the cycle at the right edge and moving left, the bolt is assumed to be locked in forward dwell, after firing, with the projectile travelling out its respective barrel. The collar is precluded from accidental rotation by the guide surface 84 bearing against the top corners of the locking lugs 56A and 568, as seen in FIG. 15. Before time A, the cam track surface A traverses the bolt body rearwardly relative to the bolt collar, clearing the body from the sear lugs 60A, 603. At time A, the outwardly directed control tooth 58B of the bolt collar engages the unlock tooth 82 of the locking sector 78 causing rotation of the collar about the bolt axis, as seen in FIG. 16. At time B, the housing cam starts to traverse the bolt to the rear and the chamber 59 on the locking lug clears the chamfer 77 on the rotor transverse face. At time C, the bolt collar has been fully rotated into the unlock orientation with the control tooth 56B aligned with the rotor longitudinal slot 32, as seen in FIG. 17. The sear lugs now abut the front trans verse face 48 of the bolt body. At time D, the bolt commences constant velocity aft, maintaining the orientation shown in FIG. 17. At time E, the bolt commences deceleration aft. At time F, the bolt is fully aft, and is aligned with the rounds feeding mechanism, with the alignment slot 54 interlocked with a projection, not shown, on the guide bar. The sprockets of the feeder hand a round in against the cam surface 50 and into the extractor lugs 52 of the bolt face 48 as the bolt passes in rear dwell from F through G. At time G, the bolt commences forward acceleration. At time H, the bolt commences forward constant velocity. At time I, the bolt commences deceleration, and subsequently its roller 68 leaves the receiver cam track 70 and enters the safing sector, riding against the cam surface of the cocking lever. At time J, the bolt is fully forward, and the locking lug 56B engages the locking tooth of the locking sector, as shown in FIG. 18, and the locking collar is rotated, as shown in FIG. 19 in forward dwell. Meanwhile the bolt roller is camming the cooking lever aft against the plunger, compressing the main spring. As the locking lug 56B passes under the locking tooth af the time K, the lower sear lug falls off the body transverse face 62 into the lower sear control notch (and the upper sear lug passes into the upper notch) permitting the compressed mainspring, via the plunger, the cocking lever and the roller to tire the bolt body forward together with its integral firing pin, with the penetrator projected forward of the bolt face, into the primer of the round of ammunition, as shown in FIG. 20. At time L, the bolt is fully locked, as shown in FIG. 15, the projectile is advancing up the barrel, and the bolt continues in forward dwell to time A, as previously described.

While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of this invention, it will be appreciated that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described, and that certain changes in the form and arrangement of parts and in the specific manner of practicing the invention may be made without departing from the underlying idea or principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A gun bolt assembly including:

a bolt body including a firing pin with a penetrator end;

a locking collar, journalled for rotation and reciprocation on said firing pin, and including two radially extending, diametrically spaced apart, locking lugs,

a bolt head journalled for reciprocation on said firing pin; and

sear means coupled between and responsive to the radial orientation of said collar with respect to said bolt body, having a first state for causing said collar to space said bolt body a first distance from said bolt head, and a second state for causing said collar to space said bolt body a second distance from said bolt head which is less than said first distance,

whereby in said first state said firing pin penetrator end is withdrawn within said bolt head, and in said second state said end is projected beyond said bolt head.

2. A gun comprising:

a receiver having a first, longitudinally extending slot therein and a second transversely extending slot therein intersecting said first slot;

a bolt assembly disposed at least in part within said first slot including,

a bolt body including a firing pin with a penetrator end,

a locking collar journalled for rotation and reciprocation on said firing pin and including two, radially extending, diametrically spaced apart, locking lugs,

said collar having a first radial orientation on said bolt body wherein said lugs clear said first slot and said bolt body is free for reciprocation within said first slot, and having a second radial orientation on said bolt body wherein said lugs enter said second slot and said bolt body is locked against reciprocation within said first slot,

a bolt head journalled for reciprocation on said firing pin, and

sear means, coupled between and responsive to the radial orientation of said collar with respect to said bolt body, having a first state for causing said collar to space said bolt body a first distance from said bolt head, and a second state for enabling said collar to space said bolt body a second distance from said bolt head which is less than said first distance;

whereby in said first state said firing pin penetrator end is withdrawn within said bolt head and in said second state said end is projected beyond said bolt head.

3. A battery gun comprising:

a single housing;

a single receiver, journalled in said housing for relative rotation thereto, having a plurality of barrels fixed thereto in an annular row,

a like plurality of first longitudinally extending slots, each aligned with a respective barrel,

a plurality of second circumferentially extending slot portions, disposed in a single annular row, each slot portion intersecting a respective first slot;

a like plurality of bolt assemblies, each disposed at least in part in a respective first slot, and having a bolt body, and a locking collar journalled for rotation on said bolt body, including two, radially extending, diametrically spaced apart, locking lugs,

said collar having a first radial orientation on said bolt body wherein said lugs clear said first slot and said bolt body is free for reciprocation within said first slot, and having a second radial orientation on said bolt body wherein said lugs enter said respective second slot portions and said bolt body is locked against reciprocation within said first slot, each said bolt body including a firing pin with a penetrator end and said collar is journalled thereon for rotation and reciprocation; and further including a bolt head journalled for reciprocation on said firing pin; and sear means, coupled between and responsive to the radial orientation of said collar with respect to said bolt body, having a first state for causing said collar to space said bolt body a first distance from said bolt head and a second state for causing said collar to space said bolt body a second distance from said bolt head which is less than said first distance, whereby in said first state said firing pin penetrator end is withdrawn within said bolt head,-and in said second state said end is projected beyond said bolt head. 4. A gun according to claim 3 wherein: each of said bolt bodies has a cam follower; said housing has cam track means receiving each of said bolt body cam followers for controlling the longitudinal disposition of the respective bolt in response to the angular disposition of receiver;

said cam track means includes a movable cam track portion which is spring biased forwardly, whereby as each respective bolt body cam follower is engaged by said movable cam track portion the respective bolt body is biased forwardly. 5. A gun according to claim 4 further including means for locking said cam track portion aft against said spring bias. 6. A gun according to claim 4 further including means for removing said cam track portion from said housing. 7. A battery gun comprising: a single housing; a single receiver, journalled in said housing for relative rotation thereto, having a plurality of barrels fixed thereto in an annular row, a like plurality of first longitudinally extending slots, each aligned with a respective barrel,

a plurality of second circumferentially extending slot portions, disposed in a single annular row, each slot portion intersecting a respective first slot;

a like plurality of bolt assemblies, each disposed at least in part in a respective first slot, and having a bolt body, and

a locking collar journalled for rotation on said bolt body, including two, radially extending, diametrically spaced apart, locking lugs, said collar having a first radial orientation on said bolt body wherein said lugs clear said first slot and said bolt body is free for reciprocation within said first slot, and having a second radial orientation on said bolt body wherein said lugs enter said respective second slot portions and said bolt body is locked against reciprocation within said first slot; and

7 8 control means, coupled between said housing and first and second radially extending, angularly each respective bolt collar for causing said collar to spaced apart control projections on said housing; rotate in a first direction to said second radial orisaid housing first control projection adapted to enentation, and for causing said collar to rotate furgage one of said bolt collar locking lugs to rotate ther in said first direction to said first radial oriensaid collar in said first direction to said second tation. radial orientation, 8. A gun according to claim 7 wherein said housing second control projection adapted to said control means includes engage one of said bolt collar control projections two, radially extending, diametrically spaced apart to rotate said collar in said first direction to said control projections on each respective bolt col- 0 first radial orientation.

lar, 

1. A gun bolt assembly including: a bolt body including a firing pin with a penetrator end; a locking collar, journalled for rotation and reciprocation on said firing pin, and including two radially extending, diametrically spaced apart, locking lugs, a bolt head journalled for reciprocation on said firing pin; and sear means coupled between and responsive to the radial orientation of said collar with respect to said bolt body, having a first state for causing said collar to space said bolt body a first distance from said bolt head, and a second state for causing said collar to space said bolt body a second distance from said bolt head which is less than said first distance, whereby in said first state said firing pin penetrator end is withdrawn within said bolt head, and in said second state said end is projected beyond said bolt head.
 2. A gun comprising: a receiver having a first, longitudinally extending slot therein and a second transversely extending slot therein intersecting said first slot; a bolt assembly disposed at least in part within said first slot including, a bolt body including a firing pin with a penetrator end, a locking collar journalled for rotation and reciprocation on said firing pin and including two, radially extending, diametrically spaced apart, locking lugs, said collar having a first radial orientation on said bolt body wherein said lugs clear said first slot and said bolt body is free for reciprocation within said first slot, and having a second radial orientation on said bolt body wherein said lugs enter said second slot and said bolt body is locked against reciprocation within said first slot, a bolt head journalled for reciprocation on said firing pin, and sear means, coupled between and responsive to the radial orientation of said collar with respect to said bolt body, having a first state for causing said collar to space said bolt body a first disTance from said bolt head, and a second state for enabling said collar to space said bolt body a second distance from said bolt head which is less than said first distance; whereby in said first state said firing pin penetrator end is withdrawn within said bolt head and in said second state said end is projected beyond said bolt head.
 3. A battery gun comprising: a single housing; a single receiver, journalled in said housing for relative rotation thereto, having a plurality of barrels fixed thereto in an annular row, a like plurality of first longitudinally extending slots, each aligned with a respective barrel, a plurality of second circumferentially extending slot portions, disposed in a single annular row, each slot portion intersecting a respective first slot; a like plurality of bolt assemblies, each disposed at least in part in a respective first slot, and having a bolt body, and a locking collar journalled for rotation on said bolt body, including two, radially extending, diametrically spaced apart, locking lugs, said collar having a first radial orientation on said bolt body wherein said lugs clear said first slot and said bolt body is free for reciprocation within said first slot, and having a second radial orientation on said bolt body wherein said lugs enter said respective second slot portions and said bolt body is locked against reciprocation within said first slot, each said bolt body including a firing pin with a penetrator end and said collar is journalled thereon for rotation and reciprocation; and further including a bolt head journalled for reciprocation on said firing pin; and sear means, coupled between and responsive to the radial orientation of said collar with respect to said bolt body, having a first state for causing said collar to space said bolt body a first distance from said bolt head and a second state for causing said collar to space said bolt body a second distance from said bolt head which is less than said first distance, whereby in said first state said firing pin penetrator end is withdrawn within said bolt head, and in said second state said end is projected beyond said bolt head.
 4. A gun according to claim 3 wherein: each of said bolt bodies has a cam follower; said housing has cam track means receiving each of said bolt body cam followers for controlling the longitudinal disposition of the respective bolt in response to the angular disposition of receiver; said cam track means includes a movable cam track portion which is spring biased forwardly, whereby as each respective bolt body cam follower is engaged by said movable cam track portion the respective bolt body is biased forwardly.
 5. A gun according to claim 4 further including means for locking said cam track portion aft against said spring bias.
 6. A gun according to claim 4 further including means for removing said cam track portion from said housing.
 7. A battery gun comprising: a single housing; a single receiver, journalled in said housing for relative rotation thereto, having a plurality of barrels fixed thereto in an annular row, a like plurality of first longitudinally extending slots, each aligned with a respective barrel, a plurality of second circumferentially extending slot portions, disposed in a single annular row, each slot portion intersecting a respective first slot; a like plurality of bolt assemblies, each disposed at least in part in a respective first slot, and having a bolt body, and a locking collar journalled for rotation on said bolt body, including two, radially extending, diametrically spaced apart, locking lugs, said collar having a first radial orientation on said bolt body wherein said lugs clear said first slot and said bolt body is free for reciprocation within said first slot, and having a second radial orientation on said bolt body wherein said lugs enter said respective second slot porTions and said bolt body is locked against reciprocation within said first slot; and control means, coupled between said housing and each respective bolt collar for causing said collar to rotate in a first direction to said second radial orientation, and for causing said collar to rotate further in said first direction to said first radial orientation.
 8. A gun according to claim 7 wherein said control means includes two, radially extending, diametrically spaced apart control projections on each respective bolt collar, first and second radially extending, angularly spaced apart control projections on said housing; said housing first control projection adapted to engage one of said bolt collar locking lugs to rotate said collar in said first direction to said second radial orientation, said housing second control projection adapted to engage one of said bolt collar control projections to rotate said collar in said first direction to said first radial orientation. 